GRAHAM TRIP WILL INCLUDE VISIT TO WIFE'S BIRTHPLACE

Evangelist Billy Graham announced details Tuesday of his first trip to China, which will include a visit to his wife's birthplace in a small town on the Yangtze River.

Graham said he would go to China April 13 for 15 days and would visit the cities of Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai and Canton."I am looking forward to my visit to China probably more than any other trip I have ever taken," Graham said. "It is such a totally different culture and one that dates back thousands of years. The only thing that I am certain about in my knowledge of China is that I can use chopsticks."

The evangelist, who is accompanied by his wife, Ruth, and their eldest son, Franklin, also will make a special trip to Huaiyin, a small town on the Yangtze River about 300 miles west of Shanghai, where Mrs. Graham was born.

Mrs. Graham lived in China until she was 17. Her father, Dr. L. Nelson Bell, was chief surgeon for 25 years at one of the largest Presbyterian mission hospitals in the world.

"I am going mainly as a learner," Graham said in a statement. "It has long been my desire to visit the country where my wife was born, and I want to learn all I can about Chinese history and culture."